Water: Your Smile’s Best Friend!

Posted February 1, 2018 by Dr. Foster

Wondering what you should drink today? We encourage you to make water your new best friend if you want to choose something that will always protect your oral health! It happens to be a wise choice for your general well being too, so consider some helpful advice!

Drink Enough Every Day

If you want to protect your oral health and you certainly wouldn’t mind if your body remained safely hydrated, too, it’s generally a wise plan to drink around 64 ounces of water on a daily basis. This will ensure you’re giving your body the water it needs for proper function (and will help you maintain saliva flow).

Use It As A Post-Meal Rinse

After you eat a meal, remember that it is always a good plan to swish some water around in your mouth. This is helpful in many ways. First, it will help you dislodge food that’s become stuck on or between teeth. It will also help you rid your mouth of bacteria, which love to feast on leftover food particles (this lowers the pH of your mouth, creating an acidic, hostile environment that promotes decay). Of course, swishing with water also protects your breath by getting rid of spices and other scented food particles, while keeping your mouth moist (which again, is essential for staving off yucky scents caused by too many bacteria).

Don’t Crunch Your Ice

You might think that naturally, eating ice is a practical extension of drinking water. However, this is not the case. You want to avoid chewing ice. If it’s cooling your water, no problem. However, it is extremely hard and can damage your teeth or lead to aggravation of disorders like bruxism. If you want your oral health to remain safe, stick to the liquid form of water and skip the ice.

Consider Our Nutrition Suggestions For A Healthy Smile

Keep in mind that even the simplest of suggestions regarding food and beverage choices can have a strong impact on your oral health. To learn more, or to schedule an appointment, call Creekside Family Dental Care in Columbia, TN, today at (931) 388–3384.